Is Chrissy Houlahan the perfect Dem candidate?

An impressive background is typical of one running for a seat in Congress. Search through the bios of the candidates and you'll find business executives, military veterans, educators, the founders of non-profits, and even the occasional engineer or scientist. You won't find many, though, that check off all those boxes.

In fact, there may be just one.

Chrissy Houlahan, the Democratic candidate in the race for Pennsylvania's 6th District has a résumé that's got to be seen to be believed. She's a Stanford ROTC grad, served in the Air Force, earned an M.S. in technology from MIT, was the COO for AND1 Basketball brand during their most successful period, taught public school in North Philadelphia, and was the founding COO of non-profit B-Lab. She also comes from a military family, with her father having retired from the Navy.

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -JFK

Of course along with all that, this is an election and she has a platform that aligns closely with other Democrats. Even though she's a self-professed moderate, her positions will put her at odds with her Republican counterparts should she be elected. In the current political climate, it seems guaranteed that those disagreements will turn nasty but Houlahan is hopeful that she, along with her fellow vets running for office this mid-term election, can change that climate.

"I really do worry for the country that we really are divided in a way that I've never seen before," Houlahan said during an appearance on the Morning Briefing radio show. "And it pains me to see the way that we're 'othering' each other, that we are constantly trying to figure out what tribe you're from for lack of a better way of describing it. "We're all Americans and I think veterans understand that more than anybody. And I do think that the veterans who are hopefully running into this situation are all about making sure we can heal ourselves as a nation."

In line with that point, Houlahan is one of the candidates endorsed by With Honor, a bi-partisan effort to get vets into Congress. Looking down that list, Houlahan believes that these are people she'll be able to work with whether they're on the opposite side of the aisle like Dan Crenshaw and Rep. Brian Mast, or end up sitting beside her like Ken Harbaugh hopes to.

Photo courtesy Chrissy Houlahan for Congress

She'll have to wait until November to see if she'll get the chance. While things are looking good in the lead-up to the election, the first-time candidate is quick to point out she's only 18 months into a 20-month race that's by no means over. In keeping with her military background, Houlahan says she's not stopping until her mission is accomplished, but that's not the sole reason. Along with a "pathological" competitive nature she cites the last time she assumed a candidate would win, the 2016 Presidential election, as one of her primary reasons for running.

"I'm confident. I'm hopeful that I'll have the opportunity to serve in this new way," Houlahan said. "But I take nothing for granted."

The midterm elections are on Tuesday Nov. 6, 2018.

You can hear the full interview with Chrissy Houlahan below. To download and listen later, click Share and select Download from the available options.